Last One Standing
by Alexandra Irene Spears
Summary: It seems that Starlight Music, in different ways, is responsible for Jerrica Benton losing her loved ones-and Eric Raymond and Tech-Rat put two and two together. It's said the only constant in life is change...
1. Deception, Liars, and Betrayal

Last One Standing

By Alexandra Spears

*Disclaimer* I don't own any of the Holograms, the Stingers, the Misfits, or their associates. I don't know who does anymore, but rest assured I'm making NO money off them!

Also-Due to a huge plot hole (more like a CRATER) in the episode "The Day the Music Died," I am not taking it into account, same with "Journey to Shangri-La" and "Journey through Time."

Chapter 1: Deception, Liars, and Betrayal

 _September 1987_

Jerrica Benton sat in the now-darkened sun room with her boyfriend, Rio Pacheco. The two of them were alone together, as Jerrica's younger sister Kimber was on a date with former British teen idol Sean Harrison and everyone else was in bed, since the Starlight Girls-foster girls Jerrica and her sister and friends care for-had school the following day.

Jerrica and Rio had been dating for the past several years. Rio seemed to be extremely reluctant to commit to anything more serious-like, say, marriage-but lately he'd been pressuring her to take their relationship to the next level. Jerrica didn't want to do any such thing unless she had more of a commitment (like marriage), and so the dance continued, around and around.

On top of that, there was Riot, front man for the group known as the Stingers. Riot felt that Jem was the perfect woman for him, which drove Rio crazy. Jerrica also had a major crush on him and she wasn't sure who or what she wanted at this point. The whole situation was crazy and what she really wanted was some kind of resolution.

"Why not, Jerrica?" Rio asked. "No one's going to hear us, and I'd make sure I was gone before everyone was up."

"I think you know why," Jerrica sighed as she looked into his piercing blue eyes that managed to go well with his purple-dyed hair and olive complexion.

"I bet Jem would just let loose," Rio snapped. "You know, Jerrica, you're so uptight, it isn't even funny."

"And how do you know Jem would just give in to your demands?" Jerrica asked. He had no idea that Jerrica _was_ Jem, a singer whose popularity was ever on the increase. As Jem, Jerrica was the lead singer for the group known as the Holograms, whose members were Kimber, their foster sisters Aja and Shana, and a recent addition, Carmen Alonso, who went by Raya. Only the Holograms and a very few other people knew that the blonde Jerrica used a holographic computer known as Synergy, built by Jerrica and Kimber's late father, to transform herself into the pink-haired Jem.

"How do you know she won't?" he fired back.

"Because I _am_ Jem!" she blurted without even thinking. For the past couple of years, she'd intended to tell Rio, but had been afraid to because she feared his reaction. He'd made it perfectly clear that he "hated deception and despised liars."

Funny thing was, here he was, lying about how he could have his way with Jem.

There was complete silence for a few seconds. To Jerrica it seemed like an eternity. She hadn't meant to say it, but the pressure had been building up and it had just popped out.

Finally Rio broke the silence. "What do you mean, you're Jem?" he demanded, looking at her closely.

"I mean just that," Jerrica said weakly. Backpedaling wouldn't help matters; it was time to come clean and face the music.

"How can that be? I've seen the two of you together," he said, puzzled, not sure whether or not to believe what he was hearing.

Unsure if she could trust him at this point, she decided to give him half the truth. "My earrings project holograms. Why else do you think both Jem and I have them?" The truth was, they were Synergy's micro-projectors. But the earrings would be a lot easier to protect-she could probably have Synergy disguise the earrings themselves-than a huge computer.

"I get it. Jem and the _Holograms_ ," he spat. "Yeah. The easiest place to hide something is out in the open…." He abruptly stood up.

"I never meant to lie to you," Jerrica said as she gazed up at him.

"How long? Ever since Jem came on the scene?" he asked.

Jerrica nodded.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "And I thought Kimber had issues…does she know about this?"

"All the Holograms do."

"Figures. That just figures. Here I felt bad about 'cheating' on you with Jem and all this time I was cheating on you-with _you_!"

"I don't think you felt all that bad!" Jerrica shot back. "You were about to go to her and see if you couldn't get laid!" Usually she didn't use that kind of language, but with all the emotion and tension, she was calling it the way she saw it.

"I guess that's out of the question, isn't it!" Rio retorted. "You and I are through- _finished!_ Don't ever call me again!"

Having said this, he stormed out the door. Jerrica just sat there, in shock, trying to process what had just transpired.

A moment later, Kimber came into the sun room. "What's got Rio so upset? If looks could kill I'd be lying in the morgue!"

Jerrica sighed. "I, well, sort of told him that I'm Jem."

Kimber's blue eyes widened. "I guess it didn't go over really well." The fiery-haired young woman sat down next to her older sister. "Did you tell him about Synergy?"

"I just told him my earrings projected holograms. I don't think it's a good idea to tell him about Synergy," Jerrica replied.

"Yeah, who knows what he'd do with that information," said Kimber.

Jerrica suddenly started to cry. Her sister held her and let her cry on her shoulder.

* * *

The next day, Jerrica seemed to be on autopilot as she went through the motions of running things at Starlight Music, the company her late mother, Jacqui Benton, had founded in the mid-1970s. After her death in a plane crash in 1978, her father had taken over and later on had hired an executive named Eric Raymond. In retrospect it had been a bad choice, as Eric was rather ambitious, and not in a good or ethical way. After Emmet Benton's death, right before Jerrica's twentieth birthday in 1985, Eric, who had inherited half of the company, had intended to use it to promote rather questionable bands, such as the Misfits, who were Jem and the Holograms' biggest rivals. Jerrica, who had inherited the other half, had not wanted to see her father's company run into the ground. One stormy night, Synergy, the holographic computer Mr. Benton had built, had revealed herself, and to make a long story short, that had been the beginning of Jem and the Holograms' career.

Jerrica had never really intended to have a musical career. She'd only done it to keep Eric from ruining things. In a Battle of the Bands in December of that year, she had won the other half of the company, as well as a mansion that was now known as Starlight Mansion, where the Holograms and the Starlight Girls lived. She wondered what would happen if people knew that the young woman who was a popular singer was also running the company that promoted the group.

"Are you all right, Jerrica?" Joanie, her assistant, asked at one point.

"Rio and I broke up," she said sadly as she leafed through some documents.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Joanie said sympathetically.

"I'll be okay. Really," Jerrica said, looking up at the older woman.

Finally the work day was over, and Jerrica drove home in the Rockin' Roadster. They had two roadsters now-the original one that Mr. Benton had left the girls, and the Glitter 'n Gold Roadster, which the Holograms had won in a contest. Naturally she had to drive in gridlock, this being Los Angeles.

By the time Jerrica got home, the girls were home from school and Mrs. Bailey, the housekeeper, was serving dinner. There were eight girls now instead of eleven, since a few them had been placed in adoptive homes, and Jerrica could see the looks of sympathy on their faces. They'd liked Rio and had often giggled about the possibility of Rio and Jerrica marrying. There went _that_ idea.

After dinner, everyone sat around to watch television. "Let's turn it on the Harriet Horne Show," Kimber said as she used the remote to turn the television to the right channel.

"Harriet Horne. _Please_ ," said Aja Leith, an Oriental girl with hair that was dyed light blue, the same shade as her eyes, which she was now rolling. She had been one of Jacqui Benton's foster girls, and thus a foster sister of Jerrica and Kimber. Shana Elmsford, an attractive black girl with hair dyed lavender, was the other foster sister.

"The Queen Barracuda of Rock Gossip," Shana chuckled. "Why am I not surprised that Kimber would want to watch her?"

On the television, a smarmy-looking, primly-dressed woman with her blond hair in a beehive hairdo sat behind a desk in the studio, just like any other late-night talk-show host. "Kids, you are not going to _believe_ the guest I have tonight, much less what this person has to say!" Harriet said gleefully into the camera, seemingly addressing the studio audience, her pale blue eyes dancing with excitement. Of course, any kind of juicy gossip excited this particular woman, who no doubt experienced quite a bit of _schadenfreude_ while "barbecuing" her guests. No one in the entertainment industry was safe-anyone was fair game for the likes of Harriet Horne. Kimber herself had once been on the receiving end when the Misfits found her diary, but she'd managed to extricate herself from that mess. Luckily for Jerrica, Kimber had not revealed her sister's double identity in that diary!

"May I present-Rio Pacheco! Boyfriend-or should I say _ex_ -boyfriend-of Jem!"

Rio came onstage looking like a man on a mission. He sat down in an armchair that was next to Harriet's desk.

"What in the world is Rio doing on Harriet Horne's show?" Raya asked in her slight Mexican accent, narrowing her blue eyes.

Jerrica had a sinking feeling she knew why he was there. He had been pretty steamed last night and he was one to hold grudges. No doubt he thought he was getting justice somehow for having been wronged the past couple of years.

"Hi, Harriet," Rio said easily as he leaned back and crossed his legs at the ankles.

"So I understand you have some information about Jem's true identity," she said, cutting right to the chase. She didn't mind keeping her audience in suspense, but it seemed she herself wanted to get right down to brass tacks tonight.

"That I do. Jem is really Jerrica Benton," he said. "She thought she could make a fool out of me."

In the den at Starlight Mansion, the girls all gasped; they'd had no idea that Jem and Jerrica were the same person.

* * *

In a living room elsewhere in Los Angeles, a solitary viewer was watching the show, his deep green eyes widening in disbelief. "Jem…is Jerrica?" said Rory Llewellyn, who was known as Riot of the Stingers. "My Jem…is Jerrica?"

He wasn't sure what he felt. Disappointment? Disillusionment?

He had to think things over.


	2. Fallout

Chapter 2: Fallout

The day after Rio's revelation on live television, Jerrica decided to take the day off work. In fact, she just wanted to take the day off everyday life, so she lay there in bed for most of the morning. Yesterday she'd been dealt blow after blow.

"Jerrica, you won't believe the number of calls we've been getting!" Kimber exclaimed as she bounced into her sister's room, a slip of paper in her hand. Jerrica could see names and phone numbers written on it. "Lindsay Pierce wants to do an interview with you this evening if you can make it, she said call her back as soon as possible because she can fit us in-she's scheduled to interview the Misfits but she's willing to drop them faster than a hot potato." She then proceeded to rattle off the names of various entertainment magazines and media personalities.

"If you think I'm doing an interview with _Cool Trash_ magazine, you can forget it," Jerrica snapped.

"I only said they wanted an interview, I didn't say you should do it. I for one sure wouldn't," Kimber sighed. "Jerrica, seriously, if I were you, I'd at least do the one for Lin-Z TV. Lindsay's a friend of ours. Besides, you're going to want to get everything straight-before magazines like _Cool Trash_ make up stuff."

"Not that they don't already make up stuff out of whole cloth," Jerrica grumbled as she reluctantly got out of bed. "Give me Lindsay's number. I'll do an interview with her."

In a wealthy section of the Los Angeles area, a screech of indignation could be heard from one of its mansions-specifically, the Gabor mansion, where Harvey Gabor lived with his daughter Phyllis, who was better known as Pizzazz, the leader of the Misfits. The tastefulness of the mansion's décor clashed with the temperament of Phyllis Gabor, who at the moment was throwing a tantrum.

"I don't believe this!" shrieked the young woman, whose hair had been dyed an electric green, almost matching her catty green eyes. She was in the spacious den with her cohorts-the other Misfits. "Lindsay Pierce says she can't interview us tonight, she has Jem and the Has-beens on tonight!"

"Maybe she'll humiliate Jem," suggested Roxanne Pellegrini, a brown-eyed Philadelphia native whose hair was dyed snow-white. Roxy was more or less Pizzazz's right-hand woman and could be every bit as snide and mean-tempered as Pizzazz, if not more so.

Mary Phillips, a timid young woman with blue hair and eyes who went by the stage name Stormer, looked uncomfortable. She was friends with Kimber Benton and a true misfit among the Misfits, since she didn't really possess a nasty disposition. Her brother Craig was dating Aja, which seemed to complicate things just a tad more.

"Or maybe not," contradicted Sheila Burns, a British saxophone player with jet-black hair and gray eyes who called herself Jetta. She claimed to have connections with the United Kingdom's Royal Family and told stories about what she had done with this or that member (which no one believed). She and Roxy were forever getting into it; it was amazing the group ever got anything accomplished with all the in-fighting and temper tantrums that took place on a regular basis. The Misfits didn't seem to realize that smashing guitars and trashing hotel rooms wasn't exactly good for business, and their manager, Eric Raymond, had his hands full keeping a leash on them. Eric had set up a music company for them called Misfits Music; it was now Stingers Sound since Riot owned half of it. If not for the Stingers the company would likely have gone belly-up by now.

Eric, who was standing in the den hanging up the phone, had just broken the news to the Misfits. "We find out who Jem really is and she still manages to upstage you," he snarled.

"Jem being Jerrica is rather big news," Stormer commented. "At least we know Jem isn't some criminal."

"Too bad, that would've been even bigger news," Jetta said, looking daggers at Stormer.

"Well, girls, let's just wait and see how the interview goes tonight, and we'll go from there," Eric said smoothly.

"Maybe Riot won't be interested in Jem anymore," Roxy commented to Pizzazz. "He sure didn't seem to be interested in Jerrica. I mean, if Rio broke up with her…."

Pizzazz grinned. She had the biggest crush on Riot. Perhaps now she had a chance with the handsome blond singer after all!

"Just like you to suggest that rubbish," Jetta snapped. "Pizzazz turns to mush around that bloke!"

"I'd rather see Pizzazz go mushy than hear your stupid little stories about the royals!" Roxy shot back. "You're a royal all right-a _royal pain_!"

Eric sighed and shook his head. Why did he even bother?

* * *

"I can't get over this. Jem is Jerrica Benton?" asked Phoebe Ashe as she and Ingrid Krueger sat in Riot's living room that evening, getting ready to watch Lin-Z TV. Phoebe, known as Rapture, and Ingrid, known as Minx, were Riot's bandmates and best friends, and they almost looked like sisters with their light blond hair and blue eyes. The two women and Riot had never been lovers; when they'd first started out, they had known that they had to work together to survive on the streets of Europe. Romance would have interfered, and as a result Riot's feelings towards the two women were more protective and brotherly than anything. Minx might flirt with him from time to time but she was never serious, and he never took her seriously.

"Maybe I'll have a shot at Rio," Minx said as she tossed her long, straight hair over one shoulder. Rio had always resisted her flirtations, and Minx loved a challenge. So far he was the only man she hadn't been able to catch.

"I wouldn't recommend it," Riot commented.

The trio sat and watched the interview. Jem explained that her father had left her earrings that projected holograms, and why she had become Jem in the first place. "I had these girls to support…I felt like I should carry on my parents' work with the foster girls," she explained. "I didn't want to look like I was promoting myself, but that's what I wound up doing."

"So that's why she didn't want to give me half of Starlight Music in exchange for me signing on," Riot said softly when the interview was over, feeling that he understood her better.

"So how do you feel about her?" asked Minx curiously.

"It feels like Jem is just an illusion…but yet…it's like Jerrica saves certain traits for when she's Jerrica, and certain ones for when she's Jem," Riot said, trying to put into words what he thought was going on. "This whole thing has just been so sudden…I still want to think about this before I decide what to do."

Truth be told, he did care for her. She had just broken up with Rio, however-or more accurately, he had dumped her-and he wanted to be careful. He didn't want to just be someone on the rebound.

He also wondered if he'd just been humiliated somehow.

* * *

A few days later, Eric Raymond stood in an abandoned warehouse that had been turned into a workshop, and Minx was with him, since she had a crush on the owner of this place; she herself was something of an electronics whiz. The owner was a computer and electronics genius known only as Tech-Rat. Half of his head had been shaved bald, and the hair that grew from the right side of his head covered one of his intense blue eyes. He was perfectly at home with all his gadgets and gizmos and did not like to be touched, nor did he like anyone touching his gadgets.

Tech-Rat was studying a picture of an odd-looking computer. It had been taken a couple of years ago by a private detective Eric had hired to try to find out Jem's true identity. The detective had suggested that Jerrica was Jem, but Eric had dismissed it out of hand, telling him that he'd seen the "two" women together. Now it appeared that the detective had been right, and the machine in the picture had something to do with it.

"I'm not sure that the earrings themselves generate the holograms," Tech-Rat said. "It could be this computer through the earrings. You said Maloney destroyed the machine; yet you saw that same machine in Washington, D.C. over a year later. It must have been a hologram."

"I sure wouldn't mind getting my hands on it," Eric said.

"I wouldn't mind tinkering around with it myself. Apparently her father was a genius," Tech-Rat added, a touch of envy in his voice.

"I wouldn't have minded getting to know her father," Minx purred, likely in a bid to make Tech-Rat jealous.

"They likely have it at the mansion and they have security," Eric grumbled.

"Nothing I couldn't hack," Tech-Rat said, ignoring Minx, his tone slightly boastful.

"What're we going to do, haul it out in trucks?" Eric snapped. "That place is crawling with people constantly. Even if the Holograms were out of town they'd still have the girls and the housekeeper in that place." He sighed. "I guess we'll just have to bide our time until we can think of a way to get to that machine."

* * *

Jerrica, who had dyed her hair pink, sat in front of her mirror, applying make-up that would make her look just like Jem. It seemed totally pointless to have a "secret" identity when everyone knew it. Granted, using a hologram was quicker than applying make-up. Also, if she were in an accident or something as Jem, things would get extremely complicated.

Now that people knew who she really was, she had some choices to make. She could retire and run Starlight Music full-time. She could have a full-time music career and find someone else to run the company; she was leaning more towards the latter and she already had someone in mind. Her father had hired someone; why couldn't she?

Kimber came into the room and stood behind her. "You're serious. You're just going to go by Jem," she said.

"My legal name is Jerrica Benton. I'll simply be known as Jem," she replied as she worked a bit more on her make-up. She turned and faced her sister. "I've also been thinking…about Synergy."

"What about Synergy?"

"We gave out the story that my earrings project the holograms. The government knows about Synergy, and how long do you think it would take for someone to leak out the information, or for someone to put two and two together?" Jem asked. "I think the safest way is to dismantle Synergy, but keep the hard drive-that has Mom's master tapes on it."

"Dismantle Synergy?" Kimber squeaked. "After all the work Dad did?"

"Don't you see? All this time we've been risking having her fall into the wrong hands. You saw how it was when the Pentagon got hold of her. I hate to say it, but there's really no need for Synergy anymore."

"Aja put in a voice-recognition program," Kimber pointed out.

Jem sighed and rested her elbows on the vanity, and her chin in her hands. "This whole weekend has just been crazy," she said. "Maybe I am being a bit too hasty. I just need time to think."

"At least our group is still well-liked," Kimber said. "It's like no one cares you were singing and promoting. Speaking of that-who do you have in mind to help run things?"

"I was thinking about Sean Harrison. He's responsible and I know he's wanting something steady," Jem said as she sat up straight.

"You'll get no argument from me on that one, Sis."

The two sisters could hear the phone ringing and Raya answering it. "Jem, it's for you," Raya called after a few moments.

Jem picked up her extension. "Hello?"

"It's Riot," said the voice on the other end. "How have you been?"

"All right, given what's been going on," she said, relieved that Riot seemed to want to talk to her.

"You wouldn't happen to have a computer that projects holograms, would you?" he asked.

Her eyes widened. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Eric Raymond suspects you have such a computer, and from what I hear he'll stop at nothing to take it."


	3. Turning a New Page and Burning the Old

Chapter 3-Turning a New Page and Burning the Old

Riot hoped that his phone call wasn't out of line as he hung up the phone. Jem had seemed a bit startled by his warning. Knowing her, though, if she did indeed have something as marvelous as a holographic computer-and the evidence was there that she did-she would take the warning to heart.

Minx had told him about it after her little excursion to Tech-Rat's lair with Eric. She was getting fed up with Eric and the Misfits, and Tech-Rat was yet another man to give her the brush-off, something she was starting to take rather personally, as she prided herself in being able to have any man she wanted. As much of a minx as she could be, though, she considered married men off-limits-not that she minded if such men noticed her; in that case she delighted in giving _them_ the brush-off. "Just don't tell Eric I told you about this," she'd said.

Riot was still unsure what he felt about Jem, but he knew what a disaster it could be should Eric get his hands on the computer-or even Tech-Rat, for that matter. He knew that Jem hadn't deliberately set out to deceive everyone out of pure maliciousness. She had done it to protect herself, her loved ones, and her parents' company. But things had a way with catching up to a person, no matter what the motivation.

Riot himself was fed up with Eric Raymond. He'd told Jem that he neither liked nor trusted Eric, but he could control him. Nowadays it wasn't so much control as influence. Eric seemed determined to do what he wanted and Riot suspected he was embezzling from the company, just as he'd embezzled from Starlight Music. He also let the Misfits run amok.

* * *

"We have to dismantle Synergy," Jem said to the Holograms as they sat in Synergy's holographic room. "I'm just going to remain Jem. I'm still Jerrica Benton. I guess it's just time I, well, 'integrate' myself, for lack of a better term. I'm tired of being two people."

"Your father anticipated that there might come a time when this step would be necessary," said Synergy. "He left instructions. Should you wish to reassemble me, there is a way." Her lavender face disappeared from the screen and was replaced by text-instructions for dismantling, saving the data in a safe place, reassembly, and specifications.

"Aja, we'll let you work on the technical stuff," said Kimber. "Jerrica-Jem-are you sure this is what we should do?"

"If Eric knows about Synergy, imagine what he'd try to do," said Jem.

"She's right," said Shana. "Somehow Eric found out about Synergy. But where are we going to store the parts?"

"Who can we trust?" Raya put in.

"For now we'll just put the hardware in a secure storage facility," said Jem. "We can keep the software hidden here, since it doesn't take up a lot of space. It's a good idea to keep it in separate locations."

"We'll be able to access the data that we need with a regular computer, such as Jacqui's master tapes," said Aja. "We just won't be able to use any holograms unless Synergy is fully assembled. Your father also designed her like any other computer-to store data, not just put on light shows."

Jem sighed. "When you think about it, how long do you think we'd have been doing this? Using holograms to change my identity? Did Dad really intend for me to keep on doing this the rest of my life?"

"Dad didn't anticipate Rio pulling this stunt," Kimber muttered. "What a jerk." She looked at her sister. "Rio, I mean, not Daddy."

"I think I figured that out," Jem said in a wry tone. She wasn't angry with her sister for that remark; Jem was actually thinking the same thing, since Rio had gone and blabbed everything on national television. Any hope for reconciliation had been dashed that night, and Jem was thinking that perhaps it was for the better.

* * *

"I'm glad I seem to have business sense," Sean Harrison chuckled as he and Jem went over some things in what would be his office, as CEO of Starlight Music. Today the handsome, black-haired Brit was getting a crash course in business management. The company had very capable and competent people working for it, which would be a big help.

"I think you'll do fine, Sean. I can tell you'll be a huge asset."

"After being fawned over by countless teens, I think sitting behind a desk is a bit of a break," he commented. He grinned. "The only woman I'm interested in has just come out of her teens." He was referring to Kimber.

"Well, take your time, because we don't want another fiasco like we had this past spring." Kimber had nearly gotten married to stuntman Jeff Wright, and Sean had sent Rio to stop the wedding. Kimber and Jeff had parted amicably at the altar.

"Do you think she's sure about me?" he asked.

"I would say so. She hasn't made any dates with any other man as far as I know," Jem replied, recalling the time when Kimber had inadvertently made dates for two different men-Jeff Wright and Max Connally-for the same time. Rio had scolded Kimber for this mistake (and rather hypocritically, Jem thought), and the whole thing had ended in Rio's kicking a potted plant over.

"I plan on asking her out tonight. Maybe we can all go as a group-me, Kimber, you, the Holograms. I'm thinking about that new club that's just opened up. We all need a break after what's been going on."

"Sounds like fun," said Jem. "I think we'll be there."

* * *

That night, Jem, the Holograms, and Sean went to the newly-opened club. Kimber and Sean started dancing together, while Shana and Raya went to socialize with some people they knew, such as Vivian Montgomery, a blonde photographer/videographer who went by the moniker Video.

"So what're you doing here all alone, baby?" asked a voice Jem thought was familiar.

Turning, Jem saw who was speaking to her. Staring-or was that leering?-at her was a rather handsome man with blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and a deep tan. This was Nick Mann, who apparently considered himself quite the ladies' man, and who had been flirting non-stop with Jem while she was filming _Starbright_. Nick could easily give Riot a run for his money in the ego department. The difference was that Nick was persistent and didn't like taking no for an answer-he was extremely pushy. Riot could be persistent too, but he wasn't one to really force an issue. Riot was someone Jem could love. Nick, not so much.

"I'm not all alone, Nick," said Jem. Of all the people to run into-!

"You don't have a date, do you?" he pressed.

"I don't particularly need one tonight," she said, hoping he'd get the hint.

"C'mon, just this one dance," Nick said as he grabbed her hand and tried to lead her out onto the dance floor. A slow number was playing.

"Nick, what part of 'no' don't you get? The N or the O?" Jem snapped as she tried to pull her hand away.

"You're still hung up on that Rio, aren't you? I'll help you get over him in no time."

"I believe the lady said no," said a familiar voice.

Jem turned her head, saw Riot standing there. She felt relief.

Nick looked Riot up and down. "Who do you think you are, you pansy?" he sneered, likely referring to Riot's long, flowing light blond curls.

"Jem's date," Riot replied.

Normally Jem didn't care to have anyone fighting over her, but she wanted to get away from Nick and she'd been hoping to be able to talk with Riot. This time she managed to pull her hand away and she took Riot's hand, hoping that this time Nick would take the hint and back off.

A bouncer, detecting trouble, came towards them. Nick skulked away, looking very perturbed, and the bouncer went back to the door, satisfied that no one was going to cause any trouble.

"May I have this dance, Jem?" Riot asked.

"Yes, you may," Jem replied. "I thought you'd been avoiding me."

Riot escorted her out onto the dance floor. "I wasn't sure what to think after it came out who you really are," he explained. "I'm thinking maybe we need to get reacquainted. You're still a beautiful woman, Jem. Rio, as I've said before, is a fool, and he proved that to everyone."

"Jem was the illusion for a while," Jem said.

"There are things about you that I like, and believe it or not things about Jerrica that I like-and it turns out you have all those things. When we were in Athens…when I kissed you as Jerrica…I felt something there. I have to admit that."

The irony of that was that Synergy had told Jem that Rio had fallen for who she really was, not just her outward appearance, and here was Riot saying that he'd done the same.

"I did too," she said, recalling the kiss he'd given her.

"Maybe I realized it, without knowing it," he mused. "Why no one figured it out-myself included-is beyond me. You two sounded the same, you have similar features."

"Maybe no one noticed because no one really looked for it," Jem suggested.

"I have to admit the whole thing is rather intriguing," said Riot. He smiled. "I may have a surprise or two to reveal to you, when the time is right."

"What surprise?"

"Jem…it won't be for a while. You just came out of a relationship. You need to take your time, and should you decide you want to be with me, I'll be there for you. But should you come to me, and things go the way I think they should…you'll find out. And I think you'll be pleased, given what I know about you."

Jem sighed. "Rio had been pushing me to take things even further. He actually had the nerve to tell me-as Jerrica-that he thought he'd be able to have his way with Jem. He knows that I've been taught to wait until marriage. He wasn't really willing to take that step."

"So your break-up was inevitable," said Riot.

"My 'lying' to him seemed to be a handy excuse."

"I don't think I need to say it again that he's a fool."

"Unless you like beating a dead horse."

Riot kissed her lightly on the lips as the song ended. "So what are your plans for the future, now that things have gotten a bit derailed?" he asked as they went to sit down.

"Sean is going to take over as CEO. For the time being, I'm just going to concentrate on the musical aspect and let others run the company. Sean's pretty trustworthy."

"And he's in love with Kimber," Riot pointed out. "But he is a man with integrity."

"He used to date Pizzazz. She's jealous that he likes Kimber."

"I guess people do learn from their mistakes," Riot chuckled.

"In December we're going to take the girls to London for winter break. Sean's going to go along with us; Kimber wants to meet his family. He's from Liverpool," said Jem.

"That sounds like fun," said Riot. "I might just join you, depends on my schedule." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she relaxed.

* * *

The following week, at Stingers Sound, Pizzazz was positively seething over a photograph she'd seen in an entertainment magazine. In the photo, Jem and Riot were happily dancing together at the club, looking oh-so-cozy together. Pizzazz had gone to Eric's office to throw her usual tantrum.

Eric was sick and tired of the tantrums. He also realized that Riot might well decide to sign with Starlight Music once his contract with Stingers Sound was up in the spring. Should that happen, Stingers Sound might sink for sure.

Given that, Riot was worth more to him dead than alive. But he wasn't going to go that route; not yet, anyway. Since Jem was the one that might pull Riot in that direction, she was going to have to go.


	4. End of an Era

Chapter 4-End of an Era

Starlight Mansion was a flurry of activity the day after school let out for winter break. Everyone one in the house was going-Jem, the Holograms, the remaining Starlight Girls, Sean Harrison, and Mrs. Bailey. Deirdre, Ashley, and Terri had since found permanent homes, and Ba Nee had found her long-lost father a little while back, so instead of twelve girls they were down to eight, and these were Krissie, Lela, Marianne, Nancy, Becky, Deralee, Anne, and Joellen.

Jem was a bit disappointed that Riot couldn't go, but the Stingers had a schedule to keep. Lately they'd been spending more and more time together; Riot and his parents, Robert and Mildred, had even come to the mansion for Thanksgiving dinner, along with Minx and Rapture.

"Hurry up you guys, our flight leaves at five and it's three already!" Kimber called. "Then we have traffic to deal with! The airport buses will be here any minute!"

Sure enough, a few minutes later, the buses taking them to LAX arrived. Everyone piled in and Jem and Aja did a quick but thorough head count. "Eight girls, seven adults, that's everyone," said Aja. "I hope you guys remember it's cold in New York, we have that layover, then from there we go to Heathrow Airport."

"We have our coats with us," said Becky.

Everyone buckled up, and soon the two vans were on their way.

* * *

Riot was settling down on the couch in the living room of his condominium that evening. Starting on Monday he, Minx, and Rapture had to start on their latest album. He rested his feet on a nearby ottoman and used the remote to turn on the television.

He sat up straight when he realized that the station had gone into breaking news. There had been a plane crash near Death Valley. He recalled that Jem and her friends were supposed to be headed for New York City, then to London tonight.

"The flight was supposedly carrying members of the rock band Jem and the Holograms," the news anchor said as images of a fiery, smoking wreck filled the screen.

Riot felt the blood drain from his face and tears come to his eyes. "No…," he whispered. He angrily kicked at the ottoman with both feet, sending it across the floor. His chest was heaving and he tried to calm himself down. Surely it was possible that she was all right? But another glimpse at the screen told him that it wasn't likely. The images seemed to mock him.

The phone rang, making him jump. He picked up the receiver with a shaky hand. "Hello?" he said.

"Riot-we just got the news!" Rapture's voice said from the other end of the line. "About the plane crash. Do you want us to take you to the airport?"

"Yes-yes, take me to the airport," he stammered, unable to think of anything else to say. He needed to know what was going on.

Turning the television set off, he got up and started pacing wildly around his condo. Jem meant more to him than he'd realized. She was someone he could talk to and really open up with. She'd helped him and his father on the road to reconciliation. She was everything he'd ever wanted in a woman-in a future wife, in fact. After all he'd gone through in his life, the conflict with his father, all the hardships…that hard road had actually led him to Jem, and now it seemed like Fate was mocking him by taking her away from him.

He pounded his fists on a kitchen counter and let out a curse. Usually he was calm, cool, and collected, even in a crisis, but this was pushing him beyond his boundaries. He just wanted to scream and yank everything from the cupboards and hurl them…and after that just start smashing up everything….

He was yanking open a cupboard door when the doorbell rang, stopping his rampage before it could even get started. He slammed it shut and went to answer the door.

Minx and Rapture came in. "Let's get you to the airport," said Minx.

"You look terrible," Rapture noted.

"Thanks for noticing," Riot snapped sarcastically. His world could be falling apart and Rapture had to make that comment. "That's to be expected in a situation like this."

Minx led him to the yellow convertible Rapture was driving, and they sat together in the back seat while Rapture took the wheel. Riot was trying his best to control his emotions. He could feel Minx rubbing his back, trying to calm him down. "Maybe Jem survived," she suggested. "There's always that possibility, no matter how slim."

"I hope so. I truly hope so," Riot said, his voice breaking. At the same time, he didn't want to get his hopes up.

"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst," Rapture said, as if she'd read his mind.

* * *

Los Angeles International Airport was filled with families, friends, and onlookers wanting to know more about the crash, what had caused it-and more importantly, if there were any survivors. Naturally the media was all over it, especially since Jem and the Holograms had been on board the ill-fated flight.

Riot tried his best to keep a low profile as he and the other Stingers made their way to the terminal. Reporters had other ideas, however, and he had to deal with one microphone after another being shoved into his face. Minx and Rapture did their best to keep the journalists and photographers at bay.

"Bunch of vultures," Minx hissed, her voice seemingly heavier than usual with her German accent.

The Stingers went into a waiting room-and waited. The airport was still bustling with activity. Riot watched for a while. Here and there people were getting on with their lives, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Minx asked Riot.

He shook his head. He couldn't eat anything; he knew he wouldn't be able to keep anything down, he was so worried and worked up. His stomach felt like it was twisted in knots and he was tense. He felt like he was about ready to explode from all the worry and tension.

After what seemed to be an eternity, one of the airport staff approached him. "You're Riot, aren't you?" he asked.

"Yes," he replied, wondering if this man was bringing any news-and if so, what kind.

"We have news on Jem and the Holograms. Come with me. Your friends can come too."

Riot took deep breaths as he stood up, and his heart started pounding even more as he wondered what he was about to be told. Minx and Rapture followed him, each of them holding one of his hands to show their support. He wondered if prisoners on death row felt like this as they were being led into the execution chamber.

They went into what looked like an office. "First the good news," the man said as they sat down. "Jem is alive. She's on her way to a hospital in the area."

"What's the bad news?" Rapture asked quickly.

The man took a breath. "The rest of her group did not survive. Jem was not the only survivor-there were a handful-but she was the only one out of her group to survive."

"How is she? Do you know anything about her condition?" Riot asked, about ready to cry in relief that Jem had survived the crash.

"She was conscious when they got to her," the man replied, "but in emotional shock. She had managed to get out of the plane. She had been in the rear, which is a major reason why she survived. As far as they know she has a broken ankle; we don't know about any other injuries as of yet. She's on her way to Memorial Hospital."

"That's where we're going next," Riot declared to his friends.

* * *

By the time the trio got to the hospital, Jem was already in a room. "Normally I would say family only, but since she no longer has any family, and I know who you are, I'll permit you to visit with her," the doctor told the Stingers. "We're going to keep her here for a couple of days for observation."

"Is she all right?" Riot asked.

"She has an ankle fracture, but it's actually pretty minor. It should heal just fine, in no more than eight weeks," he replied. "She's also sustained some first- and second-degree burns, which, I'm sure you know, are minor, as well as a bit of smoke inhalation. She's just very lucky that that's all the injuries she sustained. As soon as the swelling goes down in her ankle we're going to put a cast on it, that'll be in a couple of days."

"Has she been told about her sister and the rest?" Riot asked.

"We're under the impression that she doesn't really know," the doctor replied with a sigh. "There's so much confusion right after something like this."

"We were told that she was the only one out of her group to survive," Minx put in.

"Is that something you're wanting to tell her, or do you want one of us?" the doctor asked.

Riot took a breath. "I'll tell her," he said.

The doctor led the trio down the corridors and into a private room, where he let them in, then left to do his rounds. Jem was lying in bed, her left ankle splinted and bandaged. A thin plastic tube was looped over her ears and below her nose, supplying her with oxygen. An intravenous tube was taped to the back of her left hand. She turned her head as they came in. "Riot," she said, her voice trembling.

"My precious Jem," Riot said as he went over to her, took her right hand, and gave her a kiss on her lips. "You had me so worried."

"I don't know what happened to Kimber, the girls, or anyone else," she said.

The Stingers looked at each other. Jem was about to receive what could possibly be the most devastating news of her life.

Riot sat down and looked into her blue eyes and held her hand. "Jem…out of your whole group…you're the only one who survived," he said as gently as he could. He didn't bother to brush away the tears that came to his own eyes.

The tears instantly sprang to Jem's eyes and flowed down her cheeks. "The Holograms…the girls…everyone…?" she wept.

Riot nodded, his own tears starting to fall just as freely. Since the head of the bed was propped up, he was able to hold her to him and hug her and let her cry on his shoulder; he was careful not to disturb the oxygen tube.

"Riot…we're going to be in the cafeteria," said Rapture; she and Minx looked rather uncomfortable. He barely noticed as they left the room.

"I'm the only one that's left…," Jem sobbed. "Out of my whole family…everyone's gone…."

"I'm here for you," Riot assured her. "I'll always be here for you, my love."

"I'm glad you weren't going with us," Jem wept, her voice shaky, as she held him more tightly. "I-I don't remember the crash…I just remember crawling out…my ankle was hurting badly…." She laid her head against his chest and continued to cry.

Riot gently stroked her pink hair, the tears still streaming down his cheeks as he realized that Jem was going to have it rough in the days, weeks, and likely months ahead. There would be funerals to plan and of course the media would be buzzing around this like bees around a beehive.

The worst part of it was, she was all alone, with no family left. Both of her parents had been only children, so she didn't have aunts, uncles, or close cousins.

She didn't have to be alone, not when Riot was around.

Jem continued to cry and he continued to hold her. Finally she lay back, her shoulders still shaking with her sobs. "What's going to happen to me?" she asked.

"You won't go through this alone," he said in a reassuring tone. "I promise."

He held her hand until she had cried herself to sleep. Then he kissed her forehead, wiped his eyes, and went to find his cohorts.

* * *

Two days later Jem was released from the hospital. She had just had a cast put on her lower leg, which would keep her ankle stable until it could heal. Once the cast was off, she would have to undergo physical therapy.

"Jem…do you want to go home to Starlight Mansion, or do you want to stay with me?" Riot asked as he helped her out of the wheelchair the nurse was steering and into his yellow sports car. He put her crutches into the back.

"Starlight Mansion…it's no longer home," she said dully as he closed the door and got in on the driver's side. How could it be? Her family was all gone. "I think I should stay with you for a while. But I want to go to the mansion for some clothes first."

"I have the guest room with the two twin beds," Riot reminded her as he started the engine.

"I want to sell the company and the mansion," Jem informed him. "What has it brought me, Riot? Look what it's taken away. My parents, my sister, most of my friends-it's like there's a curse on it. I'll sell the mansion and maybe get an apartment of my own."

"You're selling Starlight Music?" he asked, sounding a bit surprised.

"What am I going to do with it? I have no real reason to keep it going. Perhaps someone else will take it and make something out of it. I no longer have a band. I don't have any foster girls to support anymore. To be honest, what I was really wanting to do was get married and have a family."

"I see," said Riot, his tone neutral. He looked over at her. "You should stay with me at least until your ankle heals. I don't want you staying anywhere alone right now." He looked back at the road. "We need to go to the funeral home…this is the part you're not going to like."

Jem closed her eyes and tears came out from beneath her eyelids. She had to help plan twelve funerals. Sean's family wanted him buried in England, so his body had already been shipped there, and Mrs. Bailey's family was going to bury her alongside her late husband.

She felt Riot's hand squeeze hers. She couldn't help but think that she hadn't even heard from Rio during all of this. Rumor had it that he'd moved to Mexico. It was just as well; what he'd done was almost unforgivable. She couldn't trust someone who would do something like that. Over the past few months she'd had a lot to think about, and as much as it pained her, she'd seen Rio's true colors coming out more and more over the past few years-and she felt grateful that she had not wound up married to him.

At the funeral home, Riot helped her out of the car and gave her the crutches. As they went inside, they saw Raya's parents and brothers sitting there. Mrs. Alonso was crying softly; her father and brothers looked pained. Mrs. Alonso looked up and saw Jem.

"You gave my daughter the best time of her life, Jem," the woman said as she stood up. "She so enjoyed being part of your group."

"Carmen was a sweet girl and she was one of my best friends," Jem said.

Mrs. Alonso hugged her carefully, then Riot and Jem went into the office to go over the plans.

* * *

A few hours later, the details for the funerals had been hammered out. Riot drove Jem to Starlight Mansion and helped her get some clothing and personal effects, then drove her back to his condo.

"I have to go through all those things," Jem wept as she sat down on the couch and laid the crutches down on the floor, underneath the coffee table.

"We'll help you," said Riot.

"Two days of funerals, starting tomorrow," Jem said. The eight girls would be buried tomorrow, December 22, in two ceremonies, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The Holograms were scheduled to be buried December 23, in the morning. Jem didn't want to have any funerals for Christmas Eve or Christmas. Jem's friends had already set the plans in motion; Jem had more or less finalized them. "I can't believe it, Riot. My sister…the girls…the Holograms…gone…."

Riot sat next to her and cuddled her in his arms. What he didn't want to tell her was that Eric Raymond had been in a pretty festive mood the past few days, since he'd heard about the crash. It had been disturbing, to say the least. There were already rumors that the plane had been sabotaged. While Riot disliked Eric, he wasn't sure if Eric might have been somehow behind it-could he be that evil?-or if maybe Eric had simply found a reason to celebrate.

"There's plenty of time to go through the mansion," Riot said in a soft voice.

"The girls…they were so young…they were all excited about going…," Jem sobbed. "They were like my own daughters, Riot. How could I let this happen to them? Did I even try to go back and save any of them?"

"Jem, you said so yourself you don't remember, and from what I've seen of that crash, any efforts to rescue them would likely have been futile," Riot explained. "Don't beat yourself up over it."

"I feel like I don't deserve to live," Jem whispered.


	5. Survivor's Guilt

Chapter 5-Survivor's Guilt

 _December 1987_

It was the day before Christmas Eve and Jem was standing in the cemetery with Riot, attending the last of the funerals for the former inhabitants of Starlight Mansion. Minx and Rapture were there, as were friends such as film director Howard Sands, the Countess Danielle du Voison, Video, and Lindsay Pierce-to name just a few. Stormer was also there, as Kimber had been a good friend of hers. She was standing next to her brother Craig, who had been Aja's boyfriend.

Jem leaned on her crutches and felt Riot's arm tighten a little bit around her shoulders as the tears continued to fall down her cheeks. Yesterday the eight Starlight Girls had been buried in two ceremonies. A few of the "graduates" such as Ashley and Deirdre were attending today. She could see Ba Nee O'Carolan with her father.

She leaned into Riot's chest as the caskets were lowered into the ground. He laid his cheek on the top of her head and gently rubbed her back. Standing nearby were Raya's parents and brother, and Mr. and Mrs. Alonso clung to each other and sobbed. Jem was thankful that the media had been forbidden in the cemetery during the graveside service; she had had quite enough of them peppering her with questions when she was trying to mourn and work through her grief. It was as if they'd forgotten what it was to be human, to have emotions, to grieve.

After the ceremony, Riot guided Jem back to the limousine they'd been riding in, Minx and Rapture right behind them. Jem had decided to have the repast at Starlight Mansion, as a way of saying good-bye to her loved ones, as well as to the mansion, since she was going to be putting the mansion up for sale in a couple of weeks, after everything was cleared out.

* * *

That evening, at Riot's condo, Jem put on her pajamas and climbed into the twin bed she'd been sleeping in for the past several days. It didn't feel right, leaving everyone in the cold ground out in the cemetery. She kept wishing that this was all just a nightmare, that it would all go away, but everything was too real and vivid, and actually made too much sense; in dreams things didn't make sense lots of times.

"I shouldn't be here," she whispered as once again the tears started up. "I should be with them. I'm alive and they're dead, and I couldn't help them."

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," she called.

Riot came into the room and sat down on the other twin bed. She noticed that he looked troubled. Even though he hadn't known the Starlight Girls that well, and had often tangled with Aja a little, he wasn't as heartless as some had made him out to be. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'll never be all right again," Jem replied. "Why did I live and everyone else die?"

"It's one of those things," he said. "Jem…I'm glad you're alive and that you weren't hurt too badly-it could have been a lot worse." He came over to her bed and sat down on the edge of it. "When I first saw it on the news…when they were reporting that your plane had crashed…I was afraid that you were dead. It's bad enough that the others are gone…Jem, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I don't want to lose you." He took her hand and gently kissed the back of it. "I love you."

That was the first time he'd ever said it like that. "I love you too," she found herself saying, and it was true. She did care for him, and he was showing that he cared for her.

He smiled down at her, then bent forward and kissed her forehead. "Try to sleep. You've had a difficult day," he said as he got up.

* * *

On Friday Riot was getting ready for the party that was to be at Stingers Sound. "I'd like you to go with me, Jem," he said. "I know what you've been through this last week."

"I'm not sure I'm feeling up to it," Jem replied as she sat on the couch, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. "I don't feel like facing the Misfits or Eric."

"They won't be there. In fact I hear they're having a party at the Gabor mansion. Pizzazz invited me and I turned her down flat." He sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "It's up to you, Jem. I would just like a date to my party and you're the only woman who's worthy to fill that role."

"How can I go out and have fun when I've just buried my sister and friends?" Jem asked.

He gently turned her head so he was looking right into her eyes. "Do you think they would want you to mope around feeling sorry for yourself?" he asked in a firm but gentle tone. "Nothing's going to bring them back. You've been sitting around here and not doing anything since you got here. You won't talk to anyone except me…and that's because I live here."

"Do you really want me to go with you?" she asked.

"Yes. I think I've made that pretty clear. I won't force you." He stood up. "I think you need to get out of the house, though. I've invited some of your friends, they may want to see you."

"I'll go," Jem finally said. Gathering up her crutches, she hobbled into the guest room to go change.

 _I hope I'm not pushing her too far too soon,_ Riot thought as he watched her go into the room. But he could see her sliding into self-pity, needing someone to take her hand and help pull her out. He knew that she felt guilty that she had lived and everyone else had died. He wondered how he could help her feel better about the fact that she was alive.

Before long, Jem came out wearing her red dress with the white polka dots. Her pink hair was pulled to one side and secured with a matching bow. It was one of his favorite outfits on her. "I won't be able to dance with you," she reminded him.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "And you look beautiful. Let's go."

* * *

Jem felt a bit uneasy as she and Riot emerged from the elevator and stepped onto the rooftop garden at Stingers Sound. She remembered another time she'd been here, with the Holograms, helping the Stingers celebrate their success. Shana had said that Riot just wanted to gloat.

To her surprise, she saw Riot's parents there, dressed more or less formally. The last time Riot's father was here, he'd punched Riot in the jaw. Riot's mother had been in the hospital and his father had been blaming Riot for that. That whole episode had brought Riot and Jem closer together, as well as Riot and his father. Now things had come full-circle.

"I'm glad you could make it," Riot said to his parents as he gave his mother a hug and shook his father's hand.

"They're really not bad people once you get to know them," Robert Llewellyn said. "I've heard so much about musicians tearing up things, trashing hotel rooms…."

"That is actually what the Misfits do, and they're likely tearing up the Gabor mansion as we speak," Riot said. "And I actually hesitate to call the noise they make 'music.'"

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Llewellyn," Jem said as she shook their hands.

"How are you holding up, dear?" asked Mildred Llewellyn.

Jem sighed and gave a small smile. "I'm here."

"After some coaxing," Riot said as he gently squeezed Jem's bare shoulder.

"So she's staying with you, Son?" Robert asked.

"In the guest room," Riot replied. "I don't want her alone while she's still healing."

Jem knew where that conversation could go. "Rory has been every bit the gentleman," she said. "I plan to get my own place as soon as I sell everything. If you'll excuse me…I need to sit down."

"All right. There's a bench over there," Riot said, understanding that standing on crutches could be a pain.

"That girl has a good head on her shoulders…I think she's right for you," she could hear Robert telling Riot as she hobbled over to the bench.

"That's one thing you and I agree on, Dad."

* * *

Riot mingled with his guests for the next few hours and turned down requests from women for slow dances, explaining that Jem was his date. He was gratified to see Jem talking with her friends. They apparently understood that it was a bit hard for Jem to get around, so they sat next to her and talked. Minx was on the prowl, of course, looking for available men. Rapture, surprisingly, wasn't pulling any New Age scams; in fact, her newest ambition was to be a magician, better than Astral, who was another friend of Jem's. Here Riot had thought that nearly drowning in a Chinese water-torture cell would have put her off from it. She was practicing some magic tricks with some of the guests.

He noticed Jem sitting at one of the tables, drinking some wine. He knew that she seldom if ever had anything alcoholic; she was something of a teetotaler. Muttering a curse under his breath, he went and sat next to her. "How many have you had?" he asked carefully.

"I dunno," she slurred.

There was his answer right there: too many. "Jem…let's get you home," he said. _Before you make a spectacle of yourself,_ he added silently.

He picked up her crutches and handed them to her, glad that she was still coordinated enough to use them. He explained to people that Jem was tired and needed to get home.

* * *

Riot didn't know with whom to be angry as he drove them back to his condo. _I should have been watching her more carefully…she's been depressed,_ he thought. At the same time he was annoyed with her for doing something so careless. But he'd assumed that she wouldn't touch the stuff. He'd never known her to drink anywhere near to excess.

"Riot…are you mad at me?" Jem asked in a little-girl voice once they were in the living room.

"I don't know who I'm mad at," he confessed with a sigh.

Jem dropped her crutches. Putting her weight on her good foot, she reached up and kissed him. Figuring that this was her way of apologizing, he returned the kiss.

Then he felt her undoing the belt of his military coat outfit. His body was telling him to go for it and take her to his bed; his head was _ordering_ him to get her into her own bed and have her sleep it off.

"Jem-no," he said as he broke off the kiss.

"Don't you want me?" she asked plaintively.

"I don't want you to have regrets," he replied as he lifted her into his arms. He didn't want to take advantage of her; he wanted things to happen when the time was right, and now was definitely not the time.

He carried her into the guest room and laid her down on her bed. At first he thought about getting her into a nightgown-but that could lead down a road he didn't want to go down just yet, so he simply took her shoes off her feet and laid them down on the floor.

"There's no room on this bed," she said.

"Jem…you're not thinking clearly," he told her as he covered her with the blankets. "I want you to get some sleep and see how you feel in the morning." He had a good idea as to how she'd feel in the morning.

Riot went into his own room and changed into pajamas. He knew fully well that Jem wanted to wait until marriage for that kind of thing. That had been the alcohol talking just now; not Jem. He didn't want her to feel guilty. And what if she became pregnant? There was a saying about sex taking the least amount of time and causing the greatest amount of trouble.

 _How do I help her, when she's going to act out of character?_ Riot asked himself as he lay there and stared up at the ceiling.

* * *

Riot awakened to what could best be described as a wretching sound, which told him that Jem was going to be having a rather rough day today. Getting up out of bed, he went into the kitchen and poured a cup of fruit juice for Jem and got out a sleeve of crackers and a bottle of ibuprofen capsules.

She hadn't even bothered to close the door while changing into a nightshirt, he noticed as he approached the guest room and saw her lying there, looking miserable. Then again, she wouldn't have been visible from the kitchen.

He laid the items down on the nightstand. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he sat down on the other bed.

"My head is pounding," she murmured. "What happened?"

"You drank too much," he replied simply.

"Why didn't you stop me?"

"I didn't expect you to drink anything, really," he said, not willing that she should shift the blame to him. "You took me by surprise. I got you back here before you could drink any more."

"Did you-do anything with me?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "I just brought you in here and laid you down on the bed. Nothing-untoward-happened. Here, I brought you something that'll help you feel better."

Jem sat up slowly and leaned up against the headboard. "Thanks, Riot," she said. She looked at him. "Did I really have a lot to drink?"

"I'm afraid so. I never expected that kind of thing from you. Luckily, no one at the party seemed to catch on that you were drunk. I might have saved your reputation." He took the pill bottle and shook out a couple into his hand. "These will help get rid of that headache," he said as he put them into her hand.

She swallowed the pills with some juice. "I just remember…feeling like it was washing my problems away," she said.

"But look how you're feeling now. Even worse, I bet," he lectured.

"You're right," she sighed as she reached for a cracker. "And the Holograms and the Starlight Girls are still gone." She looked at him. "Have you ever done this-get drunk, then hung over?"

"Actually-no," he said with a slight grin. "But I know people who have. Sometimes you learn from others' mistakes. I was never as wild as you might think I am. That's just an image." He bent over and kissed her forehead. "I'm going to get dressed. You should just rest today, sleep it all off."

"What are you going to do today?"

"Probably have Minx and Rapture over, to go over some music," he shrugged. "I don't have anything planned for today."

* * *

By early afternoon, Jem thought she felt well enough to get up and get a shower. She did so, using a special boot to cover her cast, then put on a miniskirt and a pink top. Fortunately she was able to shower and dress by herself, though it took a little bit longer. She hobbled into the guest room, where she sat down at the vanity and combed out her long pink hair.

She went into the living room, where the Stingers were sitting around. "Feeling not so tired?" Riot asked.

"I'm okay," Jem replied.

"So what would you like to do today, anything in mind?" he asked her.

"I need to start clearing out the mansion," she said as she sat down next to Riot on the couch. "I want to get the rest of my clothes out. The girls' clothes I want to give to charity…and the Holograms' clothes…I don't know."

"You could auction them off," Minx suggested.

"And make money off their deaths," Jem frowned.

"That's what you do when you cash in on life insurance," Rapture pointed out. "If you don't want the clothes, it's okay to sell them. Give them to an auction or something. Sell them and give money to charity."

Jem blinked. "That's actually a good idea, Rapture. I could auction off their clothes and give the money to the families of the other people on that plane."

"Who'd have thought Rapture would have come up with such an idea?" Minx commented.

"I just know it's something Jem would do," Rapture shrugged.

"Jem has a good heart," said Riot as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Sometimes I wish I would have died in that plane crash too," Jem said sadly as she looked down at her cast.

"We're glad you're here," said Minx. "You make Riot happy."

"Has it ever occurred to you, Jem, that had you died, I would have been feeling exactly as you're feeling right now?" Riot asked pointedly.

Jem looked at him. He was right. Suddenly she saw herself as he was seeing her-only caring about how she felt, and not really caring about the feelings of the other people who had been affected by the tragedy.

"No one's blaming you for living when the others died," Rapture added. "It's life. Stuff like that happens. You have to just move on."

"It's only been a week since they died," Jem said miserably.

"No one's saying you shouldn't mourn. We're just saying feeling sorry for yourself won't help," said Riot. "I didn't sit around feeling sorry for myself when my father threw me out-at least, not for very long. I earned my way back to Europe and we made a name for ourselves…and then I met you."

"If we sat around feeling sorry for ourselves we likely would have died out in the streets in Europe," Rapture added.

Jem realized that they were right. She couldn't sit around feeling sorry for herself. She had to do something.

"If you want to go to Starlight Mansion and start clearing things out, let's go," said Riot. "We'll have room for your clothes."

"I think I'm just going to sell all the furniture and everything," said Jem as she got up and reached for her crutches.

"Just open up the mansion and have a moving sale," Minx suggested. "You have some nice things…they'll be gone in no time."

"I have a storage facility for that computer you know about," said Jem. "By the way, the name of that computer is Synergy. My father built her. The software is still in the mansion, I want to keep it here so Eric Raymond can't get his hands on it."

"Tech-Rat was wanting to get his hands on it," said Minx.

"Who is Tech-Rat?" Jem asked.

"He's an electronics genius on Eric's payroll," Rapture explained. "He doesn't mind engaging in a little sabotage for a little cash."

"So Eric not only has thugs, he has hackers as well. Nice," said Jem.

* * *

Tears came to Jem's eyes as she hobbled into the mansion on her crutches. She looked all around, at the furniture, at the girls' things. The mansion had been cleaned up after the funeral luncheon.

"Is there an attic or some other storage space in here?" Riot asked.

"Yes, there's an attic, there's a ladder that folds down," Jem replied as she led him into the den and pointed up to the ceiling. "I think I want to save my parents' things and maybe a few things of Kimber's. Definitely my father's diary."

Riot opened the ceiling panel and unfolded the ladder. "You just sit right there," he said. "I'll start bringing things down and you can go through them."

The first thing he brought down-carefully-was a trunk that Jem knew was full of her mother's old things. She leaned forward and opened it. There was a lot of sheet music; her mother had been a singer and songwriter. Kimber had written the songs for the Holograms; no doubt she'd gotten that talent from their mother. There were also pictures. There was one of Emmet and Jacqui on their wedding day in 1964, a year before their elder daughter's birth. Jem hugged it to her chest and let the tears fall.

Riot stood in front of her as he put down a box. "Jem…if this is upsetting to you…maybe we should do this another time," he said sympathetically.

"No…I need to do this…putting it off won't do any good," she said. She handed him the picture. "These were my parents."

Riot took the picture and looked at it. "They were a good-looking couple," he said. "You definitely take after your mother."

"She died when I was twelve, going on thirteen," Jem recalled. "I never told you this…but that night she got on the plane…I got mad at her for being away so much. I refused to kiss her good-bye." Jem burst into tears.

Riot gently put the picture down, sat down next to her, and hugged her. "I think she knew you loved her. The fact that you wanted her at home, instead of going away…I'm sure she knew," he assured her.

"When I get married and have children, I want to stay at home with them," Jem said.

"That's perfectly fine," said Riot. "My mother never regretted being a housewife."

"I know my mother enjoyed her career…but I keep thinking, she could have put it off a few more years, until Kimber and I were grown," said Jem. "Am I selfish to think that way?"

"I don't think so," said Riot.

"I'm just sitting here getting depressed all over again," Jem said as she opened up the box to see what was in it. "I released her album posthumously…I felt it was the only thing I could do to repay my mother for the way I behaved."

"Have you thought about-I don't know-having a memorial concert?" Riot suggested.

Jem looked up. "I was thinking about it."

"You can sit down to sing, you know," said Riot. "The Stingers could play and you could sing."

"I have the perfect song for it. It's something Kimber wrote-well, all our songs are something Kimber wrote. But it's something she wrote for Father's Day last year."

Minx came into the room. "I'm ordering pizza for delivery. What do you guys want on it?"

"Who's paying for it?" Riot asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I am. Besides, if the driver is cute…."

* * *

Jem and the Stingers worked until about ten o'clock that night, gathering some clothes for her to take back to Riot's condo, and taking things to the storage facility. The metal box containing Synergy's software was put into the closet in the guest room.

"That's all for what I want to keep," Jem said as she and the Stingers sat in the kitchen eating Chinese take-out. "We can spend this coming week organizing things for the moving sale Minx suggested, and giving the girls' clothes to charity."

"And get some rehearsal time in," Rapture added.

"Eric is against this whole idea of a memorial concert but I made sure we had creative control in our contract," Riot said. "There's not a thing he can do about it. I think once our contract is up we'll strike out on our own. Or I can just buy out Eric Raymond. He has a subsidiary company, I'll just let him have that."

"And kick out the Misfits," Rapture added. "I can't stand the cacophony they put out."

Jem cracked a smile. "Talk about poetic justice," she said.

"What do you mean?" asked Minx.

"Eric built that company for the Misfits to begin with."

The Stingers all laughed.

* * *

Saturday night, January 2, 1988, was the night of the memorial concert. "Two weeks," Jem murmured as she did her make-up backstage. "I can't believe it's been two weeks now."

"Time heals all wounds," Rapture said philosophically.

"I'm feeling a little better," said Jem. "I still miss them terribly." She sighed. "And Monday we're having the moving sale. Next week I'll put the mansion up on the market."

"Between selling the mansion and selling Starlight Music, you should have plenty to live on," said Rapture. "Do you have any buyers for the company?"

"Plenty of offers," said Jem. "I expect to have it sold by the end of the week. I just have to consult with an attorney to make sure everything is on the up-and-up."

"It's time to go," Riot said.

Jem went out onto the stage without her crutches, supported by Riot. The audience cheered when Jem, along with the Stingers, took their places. Jem sat down on a stool that was waiting for her. Large posters of the Holograms were in the background, as well as pictures of the girls, Mrs. Bailey, and Sean Harrison.

"This is my farewell to my sister, my friends, and my girls," Jem said into the microphone that Riot had handed her. "I'll always miss them."

Minx played her keyboard for a few bars, then Jem began to sing:

 _Seasons come, seasons go,  
But you're always there in my heart  
Raindrops fall, breezes blow,  
But you're always there in my heart  
Photos fade, youth has gone,  
But you're always there in my heart  
Time goes by, life goes on,  
But you're always there in my heart_

 _You're a part of me, as I am of you_  
 _I can't leave you behind_  
 _You're a part of me and whatever I do,_  
 _You're always on my mind_

 _Through the years, joy and tears,_  
 _You're always there in my heart_  
 _Always near, ever dear,_  
 _You're always there in my heart_

 _Always there in my heart…_

The song was met with thunderous applause. People in the audience were waving lighters that had been lit. Others had large pictures of the Holograms that they were waving.

After the applause had died down some, Jem started another song:

 _I feel a loss and it's got me kinda shook  
I keep on searching but it's nowhere I look_

 _Something is missing_  
 _Something is missing in my life_  
 _Won't somebody tell me where it's gone_  
 _Something is missing in my life_  
 _Somebody tell me where I've gone wrong with my life_

 _I move around, keep going day and night_  
 _Looking for answers but they're nowhere in sight_  
 _Something is missing_  
 _On the bus or walking down the street_  
 _I feel lonely, lost and incomplete_

 _Something is missing in my life_  
 _Won't somebody tell me where it's gone_  
 _Something is missing in my life_  
 _Somebody tell me where I've gone wrong with my life_

 _Something is missing in my life_  
 _In my life_  
 _Something is missing in my life_  
 _Something is missing_  
 _Something is missing in my life_  
 _Something is missing_

Jem sang a few more songs in addition to these. She allowed the tears to roll down her cheeks as she sang; after all, this was her farewell to her loved ones.

When it was over, Riot came and gently guided her off the stage. Once they reached their dressing room backstage, Jem sat down on the couch and cried. Riot sat next to her and comforted her, as he usually did.

"You did very well, Jem," he whispered.

"It was my final concert," she said. "I'm done with a musical career. I want to do something else in life, I just don't know what yet."

"I know you want a husband and a family," he said.

"Yes, I want that," she said, wondering what he was getting at. She knew it wasn't going to happen with Rio. There was no way. Was Riot suggesting…?

"What else were you wanting to do?" he asked.

"I don't know, really," she said. "I'll have plenty of money to live on."

Riot held her for a while as they sat in that dressing room. He was wanting to ask her to marry him, but he wasn't sure about the timing. She had been staying with him-though in a different room-for the past couple of weeks. That temptation was _there._ Having the woman of his dreams so close, yet so far away-it was like torture. If he suggested she stay somewhere else, she might take that as rejection.

He had already bought an engagement ring; he'd gotten it before the plane crash. He was absolutely sure that he wanted Jem as his wife. He'd been this sure for the past couple of months.

"Jem…what if I were to be your husband-and father of your children?" he asked.

Her head popped up. She looked at him. "Riot…are you asking me…?"

"I'm asking you to be my wife," he said, cutting right to the chase. "I was wanting to ask you when you and the Holograms got back from London."

"The answer-is yes," Jem said as she hugged him.

Riot reached into an inner pocket of the jacket he was wearing and brought out a diamond ring. "I know the timing is all wrong," he said apologetically as he gently lifted her left hand and slid the ring onto her finger.

"It's all right," she said.

"Jem…I just ask that you stay with Minx and Rapture for a while-until we get married," he requested. "You have no idea what you do to me. I know you want to wait until we're married before we-do anything."

"I take it that's a compliment," Jem said as she kissed him lightly on his lips.

"Remember that secret I said I wanted to tell you?"

Jem nodded. "What were you wanting to tell me?"

He rolled his eyes and chuckled a bit nervously. "I-I've never- _been with_ -any woman before," he finally said.

"Seriously?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"Well…I just wanted to save something that special for the woman I'm destined to be with," he explained. "I know that's not how a man usually thinks…but it's how I think. I've had groupies coming on to me, wanting me to just have a one-night stand with them…but Jem, who knows where they've been and who they've been with, and who knows if I'd wind up paying child support down the line? I just ignored them. Funny thing is it made them want me all the more."

"Riot…I'm actually glad," she said. "I think it makes it even more special."

"It's probably not very common for a man to be almost twenty-four and-inexperienced," Riot commented.

"You're not a common man," Jem said.

"That is true," Riot agreed.

"I'll stay with Minx and Rapture," said Jem. "To tell you the truth, I feel that temptation too."

"I never told you this…but you tried to seduce me last week, when you were drunk."

Her eyes widened. "I did?"

"I just put you to bed. I didn't want to take advantage of you and have you hating yourself-and me," he explained. "So when do you want to get married?"

"How about the first anniversary of our meeting-April 16?" she asked. "I know, I met you as Jerrica that night."

"It sounds fine," he replied. "Has it been not quite a year?"

"If you're wondering…I'm over Rio," she said. "I've had time to think things over. Yes, he has his good points…but his actions…there's no way. Even if he came here right now and got down on his knees and begged me to take him back, I would flat-out say no."

"Your ankle should be healed by April," Riot pointed out. "Again, I apologize for the timing."

"I was actually hoping you'd ask me at some point," Jem said. "Kimber would've been happy, I know that."

Minx and Rapture came into the dressing room. "Riot, what does Jem have on her finger, hmmm…?" asked Minx.

"You finally popped the question! It's about time!" said Rapture. "I didn't expect it to happen right now, though."

"Jem and I are getting married in April," said Riot. "And she's agreed to stay with you two until we're married."

* * *

Riot was in his office at Stingers Sound that Monday, looking out over the busy Los Angeles streets. Jem was going to be holding the moving sale today, and she had a bunch of her friends, including Minx and Rapture, helping her out.

The door to his office banged open and Eric Raymond came storming in. "What's your complaint this time, Eric? Pizzazz not paying you enough attention?"

"More like you're paying too much attention to Jem. What's this I hear about you going to marry her?"

Riot turned his chair so he was facing Eric. "Jem is no longer in the music industry. She's no threat to you or your business. I suggest you let me do with my life what I will."

"You know she used to have a thing for me years ago?" Eric said as he sat down on the edge of Riot's desk.

Riot laughed. "She told me all about that. And that she regrets it." Deep down, though, Riot was indignant. Why was Eric so bent on keeping him away from Jem?

"What'd you do, get her pregnant?"

"Hardly," said Riot. What was this guy's angle, anyway?

"Jem has caused me nothing but trouble the past few years," Eric growled as he stood up and placed his hands, palms down, on Riot's desk. "I know what she'll do. She'll lure you away from this company."

"Admit it, Eric, the Stingers are keeping this ship afloat. You just don't want to lose income," said Riot. "Maybe if you signed on halfway decent bands and kept the Misfits on a leash, you wouldn't be so dependent on us. What if I just bought your half and you can just run Can't Dance Records?"

"Oh, no, you don't," said Eric. "I know exactly what you'd do."

"And what would I do?"

"Get rid of the Misfits."

"You read my mind."

"Won't happen. I won't sell my half. And if I were you, I'd drop Jem like a bad habit."

Eric stormed out and slammed the door.

Riot had a bad feeling about this. Eric truly hated Jem, and he'd been about ready to party when the news came about the deaths of the Holograms.

It was time to get off this ship and just let it sink.

* * *

Author's Note: Obviously I didn't write those songs, those were in a few of the Jem episodes. But they sure fit this story!


	6. New Beginnings

Chapter 6-New Beginnings

 _February 1988_

Jem and Riot were out house-hunting a week after her cast was taken off her ankle. Starlight Music had been sold, as had Starlight Mansion, and with the proceeds from those sales, the soon-to-be-married couple could afford something nice. Riot was leaning more towards a mansion, while Jem would be satisfied with a nice house in the suburbs; the white picket fence was optional.

"I am planning on selling my half of Stingers Sound when my contract is up in April," Riot told Jem as they drove through Benedict Canyon. "I do not wish to deal with Eric Raymond any longer. He's treacherous."

"I already told you that," Jem chided gently.

"I had no idea," Riot admitted. "Personally I'd want something in a gated community, which is what we're going to look at today. I'm concerned that Eric's really up to no good. After all the things he's done that you've told me about…I'm a bit concerned about security."

"So where will the Stingers go, if you won't be with Stingers Sound?" Jem asked.

"I hear Stormer's brother, Craig Phillips, has started his own company," said Riot.

"Craig's a decent, trustworthy man," said Jem. "I say you should go for it."

"I think we will," said Riot.

"Riot…how many children do you think you want?" Jem asked. She knew that small children tended to irritate Riot; she wasn't sure if he'd be that way towards any children they might have. Still, Riot's attitude had changed quite a bit in the time she'd known him, and he'd even enlisted his father's help in helping Ba Nee reunite with her father.

"It _is_ time we had that talk, isn't it?" he said as he cautiously steered his car along the winding canyon roads. "I've been thinking about it. Maybe two or three."

"That many?" Jem grinned, her tone teasing.

"I really don't mind children all that much. As long as they don't nag."

"I have news for you, children nag a lot," said Jem.

"I think I can handle it. I'd just tell them to ask you," Riot said with a mischievous smile. "But seriously…about two or three. Were you wanting to wait or get started right away?"

"I was thinking, just let it happen when it happens," she said.

"Spontaneity. I can handle that," he grinned.

Jem suddenly felt a wave of depression overtake her. "Kimber wanted to be an aunt," she sighed. "She would have been my maid of honor."

"Jem, darling…we can't concentrate on what could have been…we have to deal with what is," Riot said in a gentle voice.

"I asked Stormer to be maid of honor because she was Kimber's best friend," Jem said.

"That's fine," said Riot. "Especially considering Craig agreed to be best man."

Jem had to giggle at that.

"It'll be all right, Jem," Riot assured her. "You're healing. You're getting through this. I think giving those clothes to charity and giving those families the proceeds from that auction has helped you feel like you've accomplished something."

"It has," Jem agreed.

Finally Riot steered the car into a gated community, after checking in with the security guard at the gate. He drove down the street a little ways, then pulled into the driveway of a rather large home, which they'd been told had six bedrooms and three bathrooms.

Another car was already in the driveway; it belonged to the real estate agent. The agent got out of the car as Riot and Jem pulled in. "Mr. Llewellyn, Miss Benton. I'm Bradley Timmons," he said as he held out his hand, which Riot shook. Bradley grinned. "My teenaged daughters are fans of both you and your fiancée."

"Thanks, Mr. Timmons," said Jem as she also shook his hand.

"Well, let's get down to business, shall we? Let's have a look around," said Bradley.

"I love this house already," Jem whispered to Riot.

"Let him give us the tour first," Riot whispered back.

* * *

Eric Raymond sat in the den of the Gabor mansion, trying to figure out how to get rid of Jem once and for all. At this point, he was willing to do away with Riot as well. The plane crash had gotten rid of the Holograms for him, but not Jem. It was too bad innocent people had to die in that crash…sometimes you had collateral damage. Couldn't be helped. Tech-Rat, ever the misanthrope, had assured Eric that he'd caused the plane to go into the mountains, but anything beyond that was out of his control. He hadn't told the Misfits that the plane was sabotaged; like everyone else they believed it was simply pilot error.

Elsewhere in the mansion, a party was raging, one with plenty of drugs, alcohol, and who knew what else. Harvey Gabor was off in New York City on business, and while he had rules against that kind of thing (as if he ever actually _enforced_ rules with that incorrigible daughter of his), Pizzazz flouted them. Not that Eric really cared; drugs was one way he made money on the side. Most likely Stormer was elsewhere in the mansion, working on the Misfits' next song; she wasn't into the party scene. It seemed they only kept her around because she had some measure of talent, though they butchered her songs.

Funny thing was, the Misfits didn't really approve of the tactics he was employing. They didn't so much want their competition dead as simply out of the way. They just wanted to be recognized as the best. That is, when they weren't getting drunk or stoned.

So Riot was going to go ahead and marry Jem. That had Pizzazz throwing hissy fits right and left. She still had it bad for Riot, who wouldn't so much as give her the time of day. It didn't help that Minx and Rapture enjoyed playing pranks on her and the other Misfits; just last week someone had glued Jetta's saxophone keys closed, ruining the pads, and she'd been jerking Roxy around by the hair when it was discovered that Rapture had done the deed.

Riot's contract was up towards the end of April. Eric had yet to find out where he and Jem were planning to go on their honeymoon; no one knew anything about that as of yet. He was going to have to get rid of the both of them. After all, Riot was worth more dead than alive at this point. Eric had to act quickly if he wanted a chance to make money off Riot's name.

* * *

The morning of April 16, 1988, Jem was marching down the aisle of a large church in the area, on the arm of her friend Howard Sands, who had agreed to give her away. All the planning, and fittings, and trying to coordinate things-things were running smoothly today, thanks to everyone's efforts.

Riot was waiting for her at the altar, dressed in all white, just as she was. Minx, Rapture, Ashley, and Deirdre, dressed in fuschia, were the bridesmaids. Stormer, dressed in yellow, was the maid of honor. Craig, the best man, was dressed in a black tuxedo with a yellow tie and cummerbund. Jeff Wright and three other men were dressed similarly, but with fuschia instead of yellow. Ba Nee was the ring bearer and flower girl; the wedding rings were loosely tied with ribbons that trailed from her basket.

Riot held out his hand, and Jem took it while Howard sat down next to the Countess. The bride and groom then faced the minister.

Stormer and her brother untied the rings and gave them to Jem and Riot, so that they could exchange them. The minister had the couple say their vows as they slid the rings onto each other's fingers. Finally he said the words everyone wanted to hear: "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride."

Riot didn't just kiss her; he dipped her, much to the delight of the guests. The minister grinned, and when the newlyweds finally stood up, they turned and faced their guests. "I now present to you, Rory and Jerrica Llewellyn," the minister said happily.

In the front row on the groom's side, Riot's mother was having a hard time holding back tears. His father was beaming, obviously glad that his son had decided to settle down and get married.

The reception was at a banquet hall elsewhere in the area. Riot and Jem got into his car. "Well, Mrs. Llewellyn…let's go to a party," Riot said to Jem as he started the engine.

"You still haven't told me where we're going on our honeymoon, Riot," Jem said with a smile.

"And I keep telling you it's a surprise," he laughed.

The reception was winding down, and Riot told Jem it was time for them to go on their honeymoon. He handed his car keys to Rapture. "That white limo out there is our ride. Rapture will take my car to the house," he told Jem.

"I take it you have something very special lined up for us."

"I believe so."

Some of the guests had seen that Riot and Jem were ready to leave, and they had little bags of rice ready. Rice flew everywhere as the newlyweds laughed and ran to the limousine, the door of which was being held open by the chauffeur, who was looking amused.

Riot and Jem got into the back of the limo. The driver got in and drove off to whatever destination Riot had in mind. Riot took Jem into his arms and kissed her deeply. "Too bad it's not that long of a ride…it would be interesting to have our first experience in the back of a limo," he whispered.

"You just can't wait, can you?" Jem giggled as she blushed.

"I wouldn't mind taking you right here," Riot teased back. "But I'll settle for making out in the back of a limo."

It wasn't that long before Jem looked out the window and saw that they were at some docks. "Riot-a cruise?" she exclaimed.

"That's right," he said. "A two-week-long cruise, after which we get settled in our new house."

The chauffeur opened the door and Riot and Jem emerged, still dressed in their wedding attire. Jem looked around as Riot led her to their cabin. "There's no rush," Riot said. "We can have dinner first…then relax together and let things go as they will."

Jem checked the time. It was almost four o'clock. "Are you wanting to change?" she asked. "What time is dinner here?"

Riot consulted a sheet of paper that was on the desk. "At six. And yes, it would be a good idea to change."

"Well…do you want to change in separate rooms, or…?"

"Whatever you're more comfortable doing," Riot replied.

Jem started shrugging off her dress. "We _are_ married now," she said, more to remind herself.

Riot followed suit and took off his tuxedo. "Do you really want to wait until after dinner?" he asked when they were both in their underwear.

Jem wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "No," she replied.

"That's the only time I want to hear you say no," Riot said with a grin as he gently pushed her back onto the king-sized bed.

A little while later, Jem lay there with her head on Riot's shoulder. His arm was wrapped around her. She raised her head and softly kissed his lips. "That was wonderful…I have a good reason to call you Riot now," she said teasingly.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said. "What time is it?"

"Five-thirty."

"Let's get dressed and go to dinner…and then practice this some more," he suggested.

* * *

For the next two weeks, Riot and Jem enjoyed themselves immensely. They danced together on nights dances were held and participated in the activities on board. At night they expressed their love for each other and fell asleep in each other's arms. For the first time since the deaths of her sister and friends, Jem felt relatively safe.

The two weeks went by quickly, and it was time for them to go home. The ship was docked at the same port, and a taxicab was there, waiting to pick them up.

The taxi took them to the house in the gated community that Jem had loved; they'd bought it that very same day and had moved things into it before the wedding. "We're home, my love," Riot said as they went inside.

The following Monday, the Stingers signed a contract with Craig Phillips' company, Phillips Productions. Riot still owned half of Stingers Sound, which he'd already told Eric he could rename "Raymond Records" if he so chose.

And in a move that was sure to enrage Eric even further, Riot made a deal and sold his half to none other than Harvey Gabor. Eric had sold everything to buy the company from Mr. Gabor to begin with!

"I know all about Mr. Raymond's shady practices, and that's going to come to a stop," Mr. Gabor said as they sat in his office, working out the details. "Sorry I couldn't offer you more."

"It's worth it just to wash my hands of it," Riot told him.

"I only bought it to keep my daughter happy. I think it's high time I cracked down on her."

 _Way past time,_ Riot couldn't help but think. He knew that Mr. Gabor indulged Pizzazz just to keep her out of his hair. One of these days she was going to wind up in jail or some other kind of trouble.

* * *

On Friday night, Riot and Jem were at a dance club, kicking back and relaxing. "It's about one in the morning, think we should be getting home?" Riot asked Jem as they sat in a booth together and watched other patrons.

"I am getting a bit tired," Jem agreed.

They held hands as they left the crowded, noisy building and headed for the adjacent parking lot. Suddenly, they heard footsteps, and before anyone could do anything, someone grabbed Jem from behind. She could feel the muzzle of a gun against her temple.

"You come with us or your girl gets it," said a familiar voice. Jem knew that voice-it was Zipper, one of Eric Raymond's thugs.

Another thug appeared from the shadows, and he too had a gun. "Get that punk in the trunk, Mickey," said Zipper.

"You're a poet and don't know it, Zipper," the second thug chuckled. "You-in the trunk of the car, or her brains get blown out."

Jem watched, tears streaming down her cheeks, as her husband was forced into the trunk of an old car. "Now you get to be in the back seat," Zipper said happily.

"Think I get to have some fun with her?" Mickey asked.

"No, you idiot, 'cause Eric said not to leave any kind of evidence. Too bad," Zipper replied.

Jem was shoved into the back of the car and Mickey sat on the seat and covered her with a blanket. "You show your pretty little face and your husband gets it," Mickey said as he aimed the gun towards the back. "You hear me in that trunk, you wuss? Any of you does something funny and you get it."


	7. End of the Road

Chapter 7-End of the Road

Riot and Jem found themselves in an old house out in the middle of nowhere early the following morning, before sunrise. From what they could tell, it was an abandoned ranch house. The two captives were bound, gagged, and tied to chairs. The windows were boarded up.

Minutes later, Eric Raymond sauntered in. "Well, well, I have you two at last," he said. "We have some preparations to make before we get rid of you once and for all. I bet you didn't know that I was behind that plane crash that killed everyone. One of my men managed to electronically take control of that plane and crash it into the mountain, so it would be chalked up to pilot error."

Jem was furious. Eric had killed her sister, her friends, the girls!

"How far out in the desert we gonna dig those holes?" Zipper asked.

"I was thinking a few miles out," Eric said thoughtfully. "I don't want to leave anything with them, in case the bodies are discovered too early."

"So we gonna shoot 'em, stab 'em, or what?" asked Mickey.

"Get some plastic and smother them," said Eric. "What I do want is for these two to sit here for a while and give that some thought while you go dig. I need to head back to Los Angeles so I'm not missed. Just make sure the door is locked so no one can get in and find them."

"Can we grab their wedding rings now?" asked Zipper eagerly.

"And do what with them? Wait until it's done, then wait several weeks before you pawn them," Eric snapped.

The three men left. After they heard the two cars drive away, Riot managed to plant his feet on the wood-plank floor and more or less hop over to Jem's chair. It took some maneuvering, but he managed to position his chair so they were back to back.

Jem felt around, found the knot that secured the rope that held his hands behind the chair. It took a few moments of working at it, but she finally managed to work it loose and free his wrists. Turning her head, she watched as he managed to shrug off the ropes that were around his chest, then yanked the gag off his mouth.

"We need to figure out where we are, then get out of here," said Riot as he untied his legs, then freed Jem. "My guess is they're headed east, if they're going out into the desert, so we need to head west. I'm glad I had that Army training. It's still early in the morning and the sun isn't up yet so we need to start out as soon as possible."

Jem went over and unlocked the front door, which was secured only by a deadbolt; apparently their captors hadn't thought that they'd be able to get themselves free. "If we're out in the desert…we have no water."

"Which is why we need to get going-immediately," said Riot. He looked around. "West is-that way. But first let's head to the north or south and see if we can't find a road."

"Let's try south," Jem suggested. "I just wish I wasn't wearing heels."

"Carry them. You should be able to walk barefoot here," said Riot.

Jem took her pumps off, and together the two walked for a while. After about ten minutes, they found a paved road. A road sign told them that this was Route 62. "Great, let's follow this!" said Jem.

"I think I see houses-a town-up ahead," said Riot.

After a few more minutes, a sign informed them that they were entering Twentynine Palms, California. They decided to head directly into town and find the police department.

* * *

They finally found the police department, and went in and immediately told their story. "We were abducted and taken to a shack not too far from here," said Riot. "We need to get back to Los Angeles."

The policeman called the Los Angeles police department. After he hung up, he said, "You two haven't been reported missing, but if no one was expecting you anywhere, and you've only been gone for several hours, I guess that's to be expected. Lead us to the shack and we'll set up an ambush."

Riot and Jem got into the back of a police car and the cop, who had his partner with him, followed Riot's directions. No one had come back to the shack yet. One of the cops found the door open. "I see the chairs and ropes in here," he called out to his partner. "Radio for some back-up."

Minutes later a San Bernardino sheriff's car pulled up. "We'll get the ambush set up, Steve," one of the deputies said to the cop. "You take these two back to Twentynine Palms."

"They've got it," said the cop as he got back into the car. "We'll take a police report, then see if we can't get a highway patrolman to get you back to L.A."

* * *

The police had been kind enough to serve Jem and Riot some breakfast, since they hadn't eaten since the night before, and they were eating when the report came in that Zipper and Mickey were in custody, charged with aggravated kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder, among other things. The LAPD had been advised about Eric Raymond's part in the abduction, and about his admission to having had a part in the plane crash that claimed the lives of Jem's sister and friends, as well as the other victims on the plane.

A California Highway patrolman would be taking Jem and Riot home. He was sitting with the couple now, waiting patiently until they were finished eating. "Yeah, I heard from a detective there about that Eric Raymond," he said. "Real slippery character."

"I remember him telling me that it's amazing what lawyers can do when you pay them enough," Jem recalled.

"It'd take all the gold in Fort Knox to get Raymond out of _this_ one," the patrolman laughed. "And someone with few enough scruples to take it!"

Once they were finished with their lunch, Jem and Riot got into the back of the state patrolman's car. "It may take Mr. Raymond a while to get back, it's a three-hour drive from here, but we know where he lives, where he works…we have the LAPD lying in wait for him."

* * *

Hours later, Jem and Riot were finally home, and they took a shower and put on fresh clothing. Jem sat on their bed in their bedroom and started to cry.

"What is it?" Riot asked as he sat down next to her.

"What they were going to do…they were going to kill us, then bury us out in the desert," she wept.

"It's not going to happen, my love. We got away. Those two thugs are facing some serious prison time, and so is Eric Raymond, no doubt."

The phone rang. Riot picked it up. "Llewellyn residence," he said.

Jem waited while Riot listened. "I see…well, I guess he won't trouble us anymore, will he?" Riot finally said. "Yes…you got the other one? Thank you. Okay…goodbye."

Riot turned and looked at Jem. "Eric Raymond tried to get away from the police. There was a high-speed chase. Eric wound up going through a guardrail and over a cliff…let's just say he gave himself the death penalty. They just picked up Tech-Rat; apparently he's been involved in some hacking, and he's facing multiple charges of first-degree murder-he'll never get out of prison alive."

"How ironic. When we first tangled with the Misfits, we almost went over a cliff," said Jem. She got up and looked out the bedroom window. "It's finally over now," she said. "I don't think the Misfits will bother us very much anymore."

* * *

Epilogue

 _May 16, 1988_

It was Riot's twenty-fourth birthday, and Jem had thrown him a party. The guests were mingling in the recreation room.

"Where were you this morning?" Riot asked his wife as they danced together to the stereo.

"Confirming something," she replied, smiling mysteriously. "Why I've been feeling tired, irritable, and miserable in the mornings."

"Jem-you don't mean-?"

"Yes, I _do_ mean. You're going to be a father come January, Riot. And I couldn't think of a better time to tell you than _your_ birthday!"

* * *

Well, that wraps up this story. _This_ part of the saga at any rate. Look for the next book in my series, which I'm going to call _Jem: The Next Generation_. No, no starships will be involved, it only takes place in the late 80s to present-day! Which means it'll be a lot longer.

I was a teenager in the 80s. So a lot of things I'm recalling from memory and failing that, Google can be your friend. :)


End file.
